Qatar earns first-ever World Cup point with 94th-minute draw

In a remarkable feat, Qatar made sporting history during its participation in the World Cup at the weekend as it secured its first-ever point in the World Cup after clinching an equalising goal in the 94th minute against Switzerland to play out a 1-1 draw in Santa Clara.

Switzerland got the lead at the 13-minute mark through a Breel Embolo penalty after goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada brought down Remo Freuler. Qatar kept protesting about what could have been an offside in the build-up, you know, that whole sequence.

However, Qatar was very lucky not to go two or more goals down because of the Swiss dominance in the game, which included 26 shots during 90 minutes of playtime.

However, Qatar did hold out until the dying seconds of the match, when four minutes into stoppage time, Boualem Khoukhi applied intense pressure on the Swiss defence, resulting in Miro Muheim scoring an own goal for the opponents.

Qatar's historic milestone at World Cup

This is Qatar’s second appearance in the finals of the World Cup, having been the host of the 2022 World Cup.

Julen Lopetegui described the match as an opportunity for “history” and went on to state that he had always been very proud of the mentality of his players even before the late equaliser.

For Lopetegui, the Spanish coach who turned 59 earlier in the month, he was originally supposed to be the manager of Spain during the 2018 World Cup in Russia before he was dismissed days before the beginning of the tournament owing to his decision to join Real Madrid once it concluded.